By: Julie Miguel, Food Blogger
I’ve wanted to test a stuffed pork loin roast recipe for a long time now. It’s one thing to season the outside of a roast and make a gravy but stuffing a roast adds an extra flavour and visual dimension. I chose a stuffing of chorizo and apples because apples and pork go together like bread and butter and chorizo because it’s smoky and spicy flavours are perfect with apples and pork!
I used LiberTerre Pork for this recipe because I love the fact that their pork products are raised without the use of antibiotics, free from added hormones and are always generous marbled (aka meat to fat ratio). This results in a moist and flavourful eating experience every time! Before I left the store, I asked the butcher to tuss and cut the loin through the centre. This made it really easy to prepare this dish – I simply prepared the stuffing in a bowl and used my hands to stuff it into the centre of the roast!
My husband is Portuguese and as soon as we met in our teens I was introduced to chorizo. His family prepares it every year and it’s really special. Chorizo is different from the Italian sausage I was used to eating and really addicting! It has a deep and smoky flavour that lingers on your palette. During the roasting process, the flavours of the chorizo creep into the pork roast and add some amazing additional flavour there. You can control the spice factor if you are sensitive to this by choosing a chorizo sausage that is mild instead of spicy. If chorizo is hard to find, a spicy Italian sausage will work just as well.
This stuffed pork roast recipe is very family friendly. My four year old had no problems gobbling it up! This recipe yields a large enough amount for a family of four plus leftovers. The slices of pork roast make a great filling for sandwiches which means you can get two great meals from one!
Chorizo & Apple-Stuffed Pork Loin Roast
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 1 hour and 20 mins
Total time: 1 hour and 40 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
4 lb boneless pork loin roast
5 oz fresh chorizo sausage
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, cored, seeded and minced
1 cup Granny Smith apples, diced (tossed with lemon juice to prevent browning)
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt + Pepper, to taste
Gravy:
Pan drippings from roast
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
Salt + Pepper, to taste
Directions
First, prepare the stuffing. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, apples, red onion, jalapeno and breadcrumbs. Stir to combine.
Heat the oven to 425°F. Using your hands, stuff all of the prepared stuffing into the centre of the pork roast. Rub the outside of the roast with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper. Transfer the roast to a small roasting pan. Roast until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 160°F (about 1 hour and 20 minutes).
Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes while you make the gravy. Pour any juices and pan drippings into a small saucepan. On medium-high heat, add the water and white wine and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until the sauce has thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the twine from the roast and carefully slice the roast into ½ inch slices. Serve with warm gravy.
Fennel & Radicchio Salad with Gorgonzola & Apples
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 0 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Dressing:
¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbsp (45 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mL) honey
Salad:
3 bulbs fennel
1 head radicchio
2 large apples
¾ cup (175 mL) chopped walnuts
150 g (5 oz) gorgonzola cheese, diced or crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
To make dressing, whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
To prepare salad, remove hard core of fennel bulb and thinly slice (reserve the fronds for garnish). Add to a large bowl. Trim radicchio and cut into bite-sized pieces; add to bowl. Peel and core apples and cut into thin slices; add to bowl.
Add walnuts and gorgonzola to salad bowl. Pour dressing evenly over salad and mix well. Serve immediately, garnished with fennel fronds.
I hope your family loves these two recipes!